Plano for high speed rail

The Plano City Council has lent it support to a 240-mile high-speed rail project that would run from Dallas to Houston.

The council voted 7-1 Monday night to adopt a resolution supporting the project, with Council member Tom Harrison the lone dissenter. City spokesman, Steve Stoler, said the council supported the resolution because it believes the project will help alleviate traffic in certain areas, like along Interstate 45, and boost the regional economy.

David Arbuckle, who represents Texas Central, the private company developing the rail line, spoke to the council Monday night saying that although the rail line wouldn’t extend into Collin County, it is still important for residents there.

“Plano residents could get on DART, go into downtown Dallas and be in Houston in about two hours,” Arbuckle said.

Plano currently has one DART station downtown, at 15th Street. There are also two additional proposed DART stations next to the recently approved Cotton belt line.

Stoler said Plano is one of several cities passing resolutions in support of the project. The North Texas’ Regional Transportation Council also agreed earlier this year to support the project.

This is not a surprise. Texas Central has received strong support from the urban metro areas at each end of its proposed line. The opposition is primarily from people in between. The open question is what the legislators along I-35 and points west will do when the inevitable bill stripping TCR of any authority to use eminent domain comes up for a vote.